Vanth

Vanth is a chthonic figure in Etruscan mythology shown in a variety of forms of funerary art, such as in tomb paintings and on sarcophagi.

Her other attributes include the possession of a torch, key, or scroll, and she is shown often to be bare-chested with cross-straps across her breast, adorned with fur boots, a rolled short chiton, and sometimes with unattached sleeves.

Other scenes in which Vanth is present involve the meeting and escort of the dead, in the role of psychopompos, who are either walking or being transported on horseback, wagon, or chariot.

She may even take an active role in protecting heroic figures from harm, as in an urn painting where Vanth is shown shielding Odysseus from rocks hurled by Polyphemus.

The torch can be used to light the way for travellers to the Underworld, although some scholars interpret it as a status symbol or as an indication of office,[9] and the key unlocks its doorway.